


Before the Beginning

by softiejace



Category: Full House (US)
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, Bisexuality, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Mentions of Elvis Presley - Freeform, Mentions of homophobia, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 14:04:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15642252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softiejace/pseuds/softiejace
Summary: “DJ, they sound really mad. Are they gonna get a divorce?” – “Not if we get them to make up.”Set in season 2, episodes 4 through 5. Including lots of the original dialogue and fairly canon compliant... except it's gay. Obviously.





	Before the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in like three hours, but in my defense, there were only eight (8) Jesse/Joey fics on here before and that's just criminal

He was fourteen when he first knew.

Matt was a senior, a jock, popular, and the most interaction they ever got was when he knocked Joey’s best friend into a locker on his way down the hall.

Joey sat with Danny in the nurse’s room instead of going to maths, telling him jokes until his nose stopped bleeding, and then he went home and tried to study for the calc test he’d have to retake.

He woke up in the middle of the night in cold sweat and it took him a few minutes to work out that the dream in which Matt had pushed him into a locker had not been a nightmare.

Joey touched his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut as the ghost of a kiss not given lingered on it.

He was fourteen. It was 1972. His father was in the military.

He might not have been good at keeping his mouth shut, but he knew he couldn’t tell anyone about this. Not even Danny.

So he didn’t.

 

-

 

It’s 1988. Joey’s almost thirty, and he still hasn’t told him.

They live in San Francisco, for God’s sake. It shouldn’t be a big deal.

The thing is, Joey’s not sure how Danny feels about it. It’s not like he’s violently homophobic. It’s just that he’s asked Joey to move in and help him raise his _kids_ , and Joey knows about the prejudices, the fears that are still present in people’s heads when they hear the word...

It’s almost two years now that he’s lived with Danny, DJ, Steph and Michelle, and it feels like home. More like home than anything ever has.

He can’t bear the thought of Danny looking at him any different, of being told to leave and never see the girls again...

“Listen, Becky, can I ask you a personal question?”

And then there’s Jesse.

Joey halts at the top of the stairs. He’s just put Michelle down for her nap, maybe been gone for two minutes, but there his roommate is, asking out Danny’s new coworker.

He’s pulling all the registers – the pout, the puppy eyes, the tilted head – and Joey’s sure he’s got her wrapped around his little finger like he always does. But then Becky says “Bye”, ruffling Jesse’s hair (he never lets Joey do that), and the door falls shut behind her.

Joey almost feels bad about how relieved he is.

Jesse’s just stood there, talking to the ridiculously large, uninflated inflatable dinosaur he’s bought Michelle.

“What am I doing wrong? Am I scaring her off?”

Joey moves his foot down to the next step. The creak makes Jesse whip his head around.

He goes for an innocent smile. “Becky left?”

Jesse rolls his eyes. “Don’t act like you haven’t been eavesdropping.” But there’s no real bite to his words.

He throws the dinosaur toy over his shoulder. Joey descends to the living room.

“Can you believe she only sees me as a friend?”

 _No_ , Joey thinks.

 Out loud he says, “Sorry, pal. Guess you can’t be everyone’s type, huh?”

Jesse glances at him, then at the floor. He looks dejected.

“You don’t think I should keep at it?”

Half of Joey wants Jesse to stop chasing after Becky. The other half just really wants to see him smile.

“Maybe she’ll come around,” he proposes vaguely. “But I think you should give her some time.”

He cares about the other man too much to crush his hopes.

Jesse nods. “You know what, I think you’re right. If we’re meant to be more than friends, it’ll happen on its own.”

Joey swallows, hard.

“There’s, uhh... some leftover spaghetti in the fridge,” he offers, changing the topic.

A smile tugs on the corner of Jesse’s mouth.

“Alright, I’ll have dinner with you.” He stalks off towards the kitchen, dragging the dinosaur. “Come on, let’s go eat Tokyo.”

 

-

 

Jesse’s wearing a salmon-pink button-up, and there is a horse in their living room.

Joey’s not sure which part makes him do the double-take.

“Danny’s gonna flip his gourd. We gotta get him out of here.”

The upmost buttons of the shockingly pink shirt are undone and a little bit of chest hair is peaking through.

 _The horse_ , Joey reminds himself. _You should be_ _staring at the darn horse._

“Joe? Any suggestions?”

“What? Oh, right. Uhh, food! We’ll feed him.”

Jesse rushes towards the kitchen before he turns back. “What does he eat?”

“Hay,” Joey suggests, following him naturally.

“We don’t have any hay.”

“Jess, you went to the market and you didn’t pick up any hay?”

Jesse doesn’t laugh. Instead he gives Joey that look where he squints slightly, unamused.

Joey would take that over a roaring crowd any day, if he’s honest.

“Guys, please. I’m begging you, help me!”

DJ looks desperate, and Joey’s never been one to say no to a pleading child. Besides, an idea is rapidly taking shape in his head.

He touches the front of Jesse’s shirt.

“Jess, I got a plan. Follow my lead and agree with everything I say.”

Jesse doesn’t second-guess him. Instead he says, “Okay,” and grabs him by the elbow.

As they rush to the door to catch Danny, their arms are almost, not quite linked, and Jesse’s pressed up so close to his side Joey has to mentally box his own ears to stay focused on the plan and not become distracted by the musky scent of his cologne –

“Hi guys.” Danny goes to open the door further, but Jesse’s leaning against it.

“Hi Danny.”

This is Joey’s cue. “We got a big surprise for you, right, Jess?”

His hands are on the small of Jesse’s back and he’s not sure how they got there.

Jesse tilts his head like he’s going to look back at him, but doesn’t.

“It’s big,” he supplies.

“Yeah,” Joey forces a laugh. “It’s in the kitchen, so close your eyes.”

He’s talking to Danny. He’s looking at Danny.

But he can feel Jesse’s gaze now, burning into him.

_Fuck._

Jesse tears his eyes away. “Right, close your eyes!”

And then they each grab one of his arms and attempt to lead him through the living room past the horse.

It doesn’t work, of course.

But Jesse smiles at Steph’s impression of a horse, tight-lipped and leaning over Joey’s shoulder, and then he gets _on the horse_ and rides it through to the garden.

And Christ on a motorbike, if that’s not the hottest thing Joey’s ever seen him do – well, save for riding his Harley, maybe.

 

-

 

“Can you believe there was a horse in this room just three hours ago?”

Jesse flops down on the sofa next to him, cradling a salad bowl. “I sure can; even Danny’s air freshener can’t drown out the stink. – Chips?”

“Thanks.” Joey grabs a handful.

The commercial ends, fading back into the episode of _Perfect Strangers_ they’ve been watching, but Joey’s not looking at the TV.

The light of the screen is reflected in Jesse’s dark eyes. He looks tired, but somehow soft, unguarded...

“We almost got Danny today.”

He says it mostly to get Jesse’s attention, and it works. The other man snorts and throws him a glance.

Joey raises his eyebrows, smiling.

Jesse holds his gaze for longer than he’s probably intended; both their smiles fade eventually and Joey’s still looking and Jesse’s not looking away.

“We were never even close to tricking Danny.”

Joey shrugs in pretend nonchalance. His cheeks are burning.

“Too bad I didn’t get to execute my whole plan.”

Jesse finally breaks the eye contact, throwing his head back and running a hand through his hair.

The pomade has worn off; some unruly strands are hanging into his face.

The new cut Stephanie accidentally initiated really does suit him...

“I don’t even want to know,” he says, chuckling, and it takes a moment for Joey to remember what they were talking about.

But then he presses on without thinking, “I was going to pretend you and I got married.”

It’s a risky joke, and he’s not delivering it in the most harmless of situations – not now that they’re sat alone in the dark living room, barely a hand width of space between their thighs, the rest of the house sound asleep, save for Danny, who’s upstairs.

Jesse thumps the center of his chest, evidently choking on a chip. “Christ,” he says. “Joe.”

His eyes are glistening from coughing – or from something else. “That would’ve shocked him _more_ than the horse.”

He’s not avoiding Joey’s eyes, instead he’s looking right at him, head cocked to the side and one corner of his mouth curled up as though he’s about to smile.

Joey’s heart skips a few beats.

 _Fuck. Fuck, fuck._ He’s got to cut this out. It’s too dangerous – Jesse’s a flirt alright, but he’s not – he can’t be. And _they_ can’t. Not in this house. Even if Jesse wanted to... Which he doesn’t. Because even _if_ he swung that way, he’d still be miles out of Joey’s league.

He forces himself to look back at the screen and they sink into awkward silence. Joey’s acutely aware of the few inches that are separating them.

He reaches for another handful of chips –

“Shit, sorry.”

The brush of their fingers is like an electrical shock.                                                        

He’s in too deep already. If he’s smart, he’s going to get up and leave right now.

“’S cool, man. What are you apologizing for?”

Jesse knocks his knee into Joey’s.

It takes his breath away.

He’s not smart. He’s so incredibly not smart.

But before he can recover, there’s a hand on his thigh, a thumb running almost casually over the denim.

Is this what it feels like to have a heart attack?

“Joseph.”

Jesse’s voice is deep and gravelly.

Joey swallows, once, twice.

Suddenly he’s afraid to turn his head.

“Look at me.”

It’s a direct request, uttered in a voice so quiet he barely hears it over the noise of the TV.

But he can feel Jesse’s breath hot on his neck.

So Joey looks.

And this time, Jesse smiles.

“There we are,” he says, gently.

His hand moves higher on Joey’s thigh and Joey, pathetically, has to bite back a whimper. “Jess.”

“Tell me you don’t want this, Joe, and I’ll back off.”

Joey says nothing, only looks – allows himself to be caught at it.

Eyes. Lips. Eyes.

Jesse leans in, their foreheads nearly touching...

“Finally got Michelle to fall back asleep. What are you guys up to?”

They pull apart like two teenagers.

Jesse stands immediately. “Ah, good, Danny! _Perfect Strangers_ is on. – I’m gonna get us some more chips,” he grabs the bowl that’s still plenty full and disappears into the kitchen.

Joey can only hope that the glow of the television conceals his blush.

 

-

 

One of the best things about working with Jesse on this jingle has to be Jesse calling him his partner to a room full of people.

The worst thing is what happens after.

“Jess, this is not that big a deal. You’re not really mad at me, there’s something else bothering you.”

Jesse scoffs.

It’s only been a few days but he’s been acting like nothing happened between them – and really, nothing has happened, thanks to Danny’s timing – but it pisses Joey off. How dare Jesse make a move on him and then just shrug it off?

Is this just a game for him – getting Joey riled up and leaving him hanging?

“So what is your problem?” He persists. “Really?”

He knows what it is. This isn’t about the damn jingle. He just needs to hear Jesse _say_ it.

He doesn’t expect for him to snap like this.

“My problem is I’m living in the same house with you!”

Joey’s stunned for a good moment.

 _Ouch_.

Then he swallows. “Jess... What is that supposed to mean?”

Jesse’s looking at him, head cocked to the side, a terrible mocking expression distorting his handsome face.

“Maybe it means we don’t need three fathers! Haven’t you ever seen that show ‘My Two Dads’? Two is all you need!”

It hurts. He can tell Jesse’s lying, lashing out without reason, but it still hits close to home.

Joey straightens up.

He can take rejection, but he won’t be spoken to like this.

“Alright,” he exclaims, “fine with me!”

“Fine with me!” Jesse spits back.

“Fine!”

“Fine.”

And then they’re both storming off to their rooms, except storming is a little difficult when you’ve got a toddler gate blocking the staircase.

Joey climbs over it, thundering down the steps to his room. His heart is beating a mile a minute.

One thing Jesse said was right – maybe them living in the same house really isn’t a good idea. Not if he’s going to be like _that_.

 

-

 

 “I can’t believe you broke a window!” He follows DJ into the girls’ room. Danny’s going to lose it and he’s going to blame it on Joey for not paying better attention –

The window’s intact.

And there’s Jesse, inspecting Stephanie’s closet.

How cunning.

“Well, well, well. Look who’s here.” Steph, the little devil. Where does she get that from?

“Well, well, well,” Jesse imitates her. “Look who’s leaving!”

Joey’s not going to let him be the one to make a dramatic exit. “I’m out of here.” He rushes towards the door.

“Red light!”

The girls are blocking the way.

DJ meets his eye and then Jesse’s. “We have a rule in this house,” she says gravely. “Never walk away angry.”

And then Steph cuts in, her little face contorted in worry. “So say you’re sorry to each other! Please?”

Oh, they’re good.

“Sorry,” Jesse barks without looking at him.

“Sorry,” Joey replies in the same tone.

DJ frowns at them in disbelief. “That was pathetic.”

There’s a knock and then Danny pops his head through the door.

“I don’t wanna get anybody’s hopes up, but I think Michelle’s on the verge of a major breakthrough.”

At that moment, the potty bell _dings_ and Danny’s face lights up.

He rushes to the bathroom, all of them on his heels.

And then little Michelle marches out with a rolled-up newspaper under her arm, and God, if Joey has ever seen anything cuter than her proud face...

Despite the mood he’s in, he can’t help but laugh.

And he’s not the only one. To his left, Jesse’s laughing – a real, open-mouthed laugh, and he turns to look at Joey.

His eyes are soft.

Joey feels something inside him shift.

He casts his eyes down.

They applaud the potty trainee as Danny picks her up, suggesting they all go out and celebrate the occasion before he disappears into the nursery with her.

There’s four of them left in the hall now, and Joey’s very aware of the girls watching them.

He takes a breath as Jesse steps past him, maybe about to go into his room.

“Did you see her with that magazine?” He prompts. “Was that too cute, or what?”

Jesse laughs again.

“Does this mean you’re not gonna get a divorce?”

Joey freezes. Beside him, Jesse’s stopped laughing.

“A divorce?” He asks, nervously. “What are you talking about?”

Have the girls sensed something? He knows they’re smart, but if he’s been so obvious about it, it’s only a matter of time before Danny –

“You said there were too many dads here,” Stephanie says.

Joey opens his mouth, but Jesse’s quicker.

“You guys heard us fighting, huh?”

“We don’t want anybody to leave,” DJ says seriously.

That’s it. Joey taps Jesse’s back. “Uh, we need to talk.”

“Right.”

They usher the girls into their room, sitting down at the round table that’s still set for a make-believe tea party.

“Girls,” Joey starts, “nobody is leaving this house.”

“We just had a little fight,” Jesse adds. “You see, sometimes in the heat of the moment you say things that you don't really mean. You know that, you guys fight all the time.”

“We're sisters,” DJ reasons. “We're supposed to fight.”

“It's our job.”

“Well, same with us,” Jesse shrugs. “We fight like brothers.”

It’s like a kick to the gut, but Joey manages to keep a straight face as he looks at Jesse imploringly. “You mean that? You think of me like a brother?”

“Well, you definitely irritate me like a brother,” Jesse replies somewhat evasively.

“Jess, that is the nicest thing you've ever said to me.”

_And I hope to God you don’t mean it._

“Well,” Jesse goes on, “we help raise these kids together, do the laundry together, we make school lunches together... Somewhere along the line, we became brothers.” He pauses for a second, then he chuckles, “and housewives.”

 _That’s more like it_ , Joey thinks, giving him a small smile.

The girls giggle, too. Joey had almost forgotten about their presence.

 “I'm sorry about springing that puppet on you,” he says sincerely. “I thought it would be a big hit. I was trying to surprise you. I guess I should've talked to you about it first.”

Jesse makes a dismissive gesture. “Ah, it was cute.” He stands with a sigh. “Everything okay now, girls?”

DJ nods, smiling. “It is if you guys are.”

“We’re fine, right, Jess?”

Jesse gives him a look. “Yeah. D’you wanna come back to my room, work on that jingle some more?”

Joey blinks.

 _Oh_.

“Sounds like a plan.”

He gets up as well, leaving Stephanie and DJ to their homework and following Jesse across the hall.

Jesse’s got his back on him. “I'm sorry for getting crazy, Joey.”

Joey doesn’t move or make a sound.

“Joey, you know that thing you said about something else that was bothering me? You're right.”

Jesse turns around to face him, his eyes wide. “I'm scared.”

Joey swallows. “Scared?” He echoes.

Jesse just looks at him.

“Scared of what?”

Jesse’s next words are so quiet he’s almost sure he’s imagined them. “I don’t think of you as a brother, Joseph.”

Joey exhales. “Oh, thank _God_.”

Jesse looks pained.

“Look – Jess.” He takes a step toward him, cautiously reaching out. He doesn’t touch him.

“I know how it feels,” he says, bravely.

If he has to be the first one to say it, he will. God knows he’s waited long enough to tell anyone.

“How terrifying it can be to figure out that you’re –“

Jesse cuts him off, voice still hushed as though he’s afraid they’ll be heard through the walls. “I’m not gay.”

But he doesn’t sound like he’s in denial.

Joey shrugs. “Neither am I. Not completely. Just significantly enough, I guess. - Jess, you don’t have to give it a name. I was going to say, realizing you’re attracted to guys can be scary.”

To his surprise, Jesse snorts. “It’s not _that_. I’ve known I wanted to knock boots with dudes since I was a kid. Have you never asked yourself why I’m so obsessed with Elvis?”

“Oh,” Joey breathes.

Jesse’s got his hands on his hips and his eyes on Joey’s face. “It’s not wanting to –“ He breaks off.

Joey desperately wants to know what phrase he was about to use, but he waits as Jesse arranges his thoughts.

“ _That’s_ not the part that scares me. The scary part is how much you mean to me.”

He softens his gaze. “Joey, I don’t want to ruin our friendsh—“

“Oh, don’t say that,” Joey moans.

Jesse raises an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry, it’s just – you really think that’s going to ruin our friendship? Didn’t you hear yourself talk in there?” He nods towards the girls’ room.

Jesse heaves a breath. “But that’s the thing, Joey. So much is at stake. If this ends badly –“

“Isn’t it a little silly,” Joey interrupts him, “to talk about the end before the beginning?”

Jesse’s staring at his shoes.

Joey steps closer, until the tips of their shoes are touching.

“Look at me,” he repeats Jesse’s request from a few days ago.

And Jesse does, albeit strangely timid.

“We’re a team, yeah?” Joey asks, waiting for Jesse to nod before he continues. “And a pretty good one at that. But just like the cat food jingle, this – thing,” he stops himself from labeling it, “is going to require communication.”

Jesse swallows. His gaze is flickering unmistakably – eyes. Lips. Eyes.

Lips.

“What is your opinion on wordless communication?” He asks in but a murmur.

“Highly underrated,” Joey breathes.

Jesse kisses him.

 

-

 

Joey can’t say for sure how much time has passed – a few minutes or half an hour – but when they pull apart, Jesse’s hair is mussed and his lips swollen, and somehow he’s ended up pinned against the wall underneath his Elvis poster.

In any case, they’re incredibly lucky Danny’s timing is amiss. Wasn’t he going to make everyone go out and celebrate?

Jesse raises his hand from where it’s been resting on Joey’s shoulder to stroke his jaw.

“You were right. That was a pretty good beginning, and I almost stopped it from happening.”

Joey leans his head into the palm of his hand. “You still thinking about Becky at all?”

Jesse scoffs. “Becky who?”

Joey grins. “Harsh.”

“Hey, she was the one who wanted to be just friends.”

“Can’t say I relate,” Joey says.

Jesse hums, letting his hands drift down to Joey’s waist so that he’s holding him close.

Joey breathes him in.

“So, Joseph,” Jesse murmurs. “It is like you said – we do make a pretty good team. What do you say, you still wanna be partners? And I don’t just mean at work.”

Something bright and hot stirs inside of Joey. _This is going to be difficult to explain to Danny_ , he catches himself thinking.

But what he says is, “Like Butch and Sundance?”

Jesse rolls his eyes. “That a yes?"

Joey just kisses him again.


End file.
